A New Path
by Blood-Foxs-Revenge
Summary: Summary: Dumbledore left Harry Potter on the doorstep of his Aunt’s house, right? What if McGonagall had decided not to listen to him and took Harry with her? Au
1. Doing the Right Thing

**Doing the Right Thing**

**Disclaimer: I don't happen to be Rowlings using a suedo name, so I don't own the characters, just the plot.**

**(123456789)**

"_They're the worse sort of muggles in the world Albus."_

"_They are the only family he has now."_

"_Every child in our world will grow up knowing his name."_

"_Better that He grow up away from all that."_

I had been replaying the conversation for at least an hour. We had left him here, to an unknown fate. We went to be seen in the celebration of the fall of a dark lord at the hands of a child, this child. I quickly separated myself from Albus and returned here.

He was so peaceful, so innocent. Yet I remember over hearing Sirius and James talking about how horrible Lily's sister was about magic. To leave him here might just destroy him, but what can I do? Albus was right, he should grow up away from the limelight of the wizard world, but this was punishment, not reward.

I had to try something, it just wasn't right. I quickly walked up and picked up Harry. My heart raced as I thought about what I was doing. I quickly walked away in to the night, my path set.

A good two blocks away, I summoned the Knight Bus. Quickly paying my fare, I named a small town in Scotland. Once we arrived there, I left towards a place I hadn't been for the past few months, my family home.

As soon as I entered, one of the older house elves quickly appeared. "Mistress, we were unaware that you would be arriving. What is it you need Mistress?"

"I need you to prepare a room for this child. Please get all the supplies we have at our disposal for the moment, tomorrow we'll get better things."

The house elf bowed before disappearing in a slight hiss of air. I looked down at Harry; "it would seem you're stuck with me young one." Harry opened his eyes and looked at me. He reached up and grabbed my glasses; I could understand how people always seemed to fall in love with babies.

I'm not sure how long I had been standing there, but one of the house elf's tugged on my cloak, "Mistress, the room is ready."

I took back my glasses and followed. The room was a faded pink, but that could be easily changed. I laid Harry down in the crib; he fussed a little first but quickly fell back asleep.

I turned towards the House elf that had guided me, "watch over him for me, I have to write a letter." The House elf nodded and settled into a corner to watch over him.

I arrived in my study and began to write.

Dear Albus,

I'm sorry for the abruptness of my departure, but I have recently had to protect a friend's child. I need to request a leave of absence. I apologize for asking this in the middle of the year, but I need to be here to take care of him.

I understand if you are angry, but this is something I must do and the alternative is far too worse.

Thank you for all the things you have done for me.

Minerva McGonagall

**(123456789)**

Albus Dumbledore was standing in his office wondering if he had done the right thing. Should he have left a child to an unknown fate? Regardless, it seems someone, Minerva, had taken Harry from the doorstep of his family's home.

An owl flew through the window and landed on his desk. After being relieved of its burden, it took off to its owner. After reading the letter, He had to laugh. Fawkes landed on his knee and gave him an odd look.

As Albus stroked Fawkes' feathers he said, "I do believe that this would be a much better solution than the one initially thought of, don't you?" Fawkes head bobbed for a second. "Then let's give her all the help we can. He then sat about providing all the changes to forms that would be necessary to allow Minerva to be Harry's wizard and legal guardian.

**(123456789)**

**A/n: What do you think? PLEASE REVIEW! This story will be written if people think it's a good idea.**


	2. To watch a young one grow or a quick sum...

**To watch a young one grow; or a quick summary of events **

**A/n: I'm not going to dwell on the raising of Harry, but I'll make reference to some of this at other points.**

**(Minerva McGonagall's Perspective)**

"What have I got myself into," I was asking myself. While I didn't regret my choice, it certainly had its toll. It had been a week since I took Harry in, and was the most tiring week of my life.

Thanks to Yang and Yen, I had been able to keep up. Sal had taken to preparing the meals, as the other two were busy helping me. We kept Harry changed and well taken care of. Currently Yen was reading to Harry and Yang was preparing some milk for him.

I simply couldn't understand how muggles did this without help. Of course, most people who had children were a great deal younger than me.

Albus had granted me my leave, but held the place of Head of House open if I wished to return. He would be responsible of my students while I was gone. He also sent me the wizard and muggle forms that gave me sole custody of Harry.

Harry climbed in my lap, gave a great stretch and yawn, then settled in for a nap. He was so precious; I just wanted to protect him from all the bad things in the world.

A month had passed until I was beginning to get used to a one year-olds havoc causing abilities. Harry never really did anything bad, just frustrating. He had some how pulled all my books off their shelves, turned the pots and pans into a drum set (not literally), and spilled all the ink bottles in my study.

Yen and Yang were having a field day taking care of Harry when I couldn't. Sal told me it was because they wanted children of their own, but were not as of yet willing to take that step. One would be watching over him, the other would be repairing whatever small damage he did.

I had been able to watch Harry grow his first step, first word and so much more. Harry had begun "Mgall" which I found amusing. I most likely would have spent hours a day just watching him, but Sal reminded me that I had a job that I needed to return to. Regretfully, I returned to my former position. I returned after the last of my classes each day, Albus had given me a multi use portkey to return to Hogwarts if needed. It was a temporary solution, but would allow us time to come up with a better one.

Months quickly passed and I found myself speaking to Albus before I was to leave for the summer.

"It has been an interesting year, wouldn't you say Minerva?"

I nodded, "yes. The fall of V-Voldemort, the death of the Potters."

"Your new house guest."

Again I nodded.

Albus looked at me, his eyes twinkling brightly, "I had a parting present for you, I placed it in your office. I trust you can make more use of it than me."

Rising to the clear dismissal, I couldn't help but wonder what that meant. When I arrived at my office, I found a plain box sitting on my desk. Suspecting this is what Albus meant, I opened it to find a pocket watch and a note.

_Minerva,_

_This is a time turner. It is designed to go back days instead of hours. Use it well._

_Albus_

At first I had no clue as to why I would need a time turner, but as I arrived home to see Harry greet me, I realized what it was for. So Albus had managed to get his hands on a time turner, most likely illegal, to allow me to attend my duties as teacher and guardian. Crafty old goat.

Summer passed quickly, we spent a large amount out in the sunshine. Soon it was time for me to return to Hogwarts. I decided that it would be better to go through a day of Hogwarts, then stay home with Harry. Since skills and knowledge went back in time, it was the easiest way for me not to worry about my students.

The year passed uneventfully, I was impressed with a few students, but my main concern was Harry. He was growing like a plant. Harry was also very intelligent, having a firm grasp of half his alphabet, and numbers up to ten. Sal explained that Yen had given Harry a boost, as that was how their children were raised. While it wasn't harmful when done in small amounts, as she had done, Harry had absorbed a lot more than most young ones his age.

Years seemed to blur by; Harry and me grew close. After having him for such a short time in my life, Sal told me that most parents placed their children in to some kind of school. I really didn't want to, he wasn't nearly old enough to go, but Sal said that he was more than well prepared. It would allow him to get some experience with other children.

I located the nearest one and arranged to meet with the teacher with whom Harry would be under. I wore a simple blouse and skirt. As I, unlike most of wizarding kind, knew a great deal about how muggles dressed, I knew I was dressed slightly old fashion and plain.

The office had pictures all over the wall, mostly of various groups of young children, and seemed to be designed to put a person at ease. The woman who walked in was in about her late twenties and was dressed rather subdued. "Greeting, I am Ms. Chen."

I nodded in greeting, "Ms. McGonagall. I am here to meet the one who is going to teach Harry."

She looked surprised, "I see, well why don't you tell me about Harry."

I talked about Harry for a good hour at least. Once I was done, Ms Chen said, "I noticed that you mentioned his parents no longer being alive, does he know?"

I shook my head, "he knows I'm not his mother, but I haven't the heart to tell him yet."

She nodded sadly, "I can understand, I've seen families that have had to do that. My advice is to take him aside in private and explain, it would allow him to deal with it when no one is watching him."

I nodded slowly. We discussed Harry's current abilities in language, shape recognition and math. Ms Chen was impressed with his abilities but recommended that he stay with children his own age so that he could learn better social skills.

Soon our meeting ended and said goodbye. I was happy and felt I could trust her abilities. Once I arrived home, Sal greeted me, "Mistress, I hope everything went well."

"Very well Sal. How's Harry doing?"

"Yen read him a book that talked about various fighting styles, why I don't know, their upstairs in one of the practicing rooms showing him what the book meant." I nodded my understanding and went up to greet them. As I entered the room, I saw a straw dummy about Harry's size showing him several fighting moves. Harry, who seemed to have the natural grace of a cat, was mimicking what he saw.

I quietly cleared my throat, which was enough to cause Harry to turn around. "Aunt Mini," he yelled as he ran over to me. Though he knew my name was Minerva, he called me Mini after the female mouse that was on the television. I explained to Harry that he would need to start school soon, to which he asked, "does that mean I get to go to school with you now?" I shook my head and explained that it would be a while before he could. He seemed sad at this, but instantly brightened when he found out he would be able to spend time with others his age.

I explained that Harry couldn't mention Yen, Yang or Sal to his friends. I told him that his or her parents wouldn't understand why he had someone who cleaned up after him. I knew I was stretching the truth slightly, I didn't feel that he could understand about magic and the need to keep it secret.

I walked Harry to school on his first day, which turned out to not be that far away. Once I was sure he was inside his class and safe, I returned to my home and used the time turner to go back so I could be in time for breakfast.

After a full day of classes, and the odd detention, I returned to my home to find instructions on how far to go back. Once that was done, I walked to Harry's school and picked him up. He was going on and on about all the interesting things they got to do. Once we got home, Harry ran off to go and tell Yen and Yang about his day. I quickly wrote a note for myself, to leave instructions on how far back to go.

We had a wonderful dinner, during which Harry repeated his stories again for all to hear. Sal was laughing and expressing wonder in all the right places. Once dinner was finished, Harry quickly tired out and began to slowly go to sleep. At first I was worried, but Sal assured me it was because of how much energy he used up during the day.

We quickly fell into the routine where I would walk Harry to school, go to Hogwarts, return at the end of my day, sleep a little, and then go and pick up Harry. Once or twice Harry came home sad, but refused to say what was bothering him. I went to his teacher after the fourth time to see if she knew anything about it.

"He's a great kid, but the other students tease him on having a older woman bringing him to school." She sighed, "little children imitate those they see around them, so these children are acting as they see their parents do."

I simply bowed my head. "And there is very little you can do, is there?"

She nodded, "the little I can do will only make them be more secretive about it."

"I see, thank you for your time." On the way home, Harry picked up on my somber attitude and was quiet part of the way there.

"Aunt Mini, why are you sad?"

"It's just a thought that made me sad." I smiled, "so how was your day?"

Harry watched me for a moment before launching into all the things they had done that day. Everything was normal once we arrived home, but I couldn't shake the thought that other children were picking on Harry, and I could do very little but console him.

The next few years passed, Harry grew up more and more, the faces in my classes changed and life moved on. Almost too soon, Albus came to my office with a letter in his hand. "He will be starting next year Minerva."

"I know Albus, I know. It just seems like it was yesterday that I picked him up in my arms to bring him home with me."

Albus chuckled, "yes, time does seem to speed past you at an amazing speed when you enjoy yourself. I leave it up to you to see his acceptance form is properly filed." Albus smiled at me, "I would have never thought you would be the mother type, it works well for you."

Once he had left, I rolled my eyes. 'See to it that the form was properly filed', Harry would want me to return to Hogwarts immediately so it couldn't get lost. I got up to go to the edge of the wards of Hogwarts, so I could begin the holiday with Harry.

Just like I thought, once I gave him the letter he began bouncing off the walls, he was so happy. He instantly ran to get parchment to send his reply. Once it was signed, he begged me to take it and him to Hogwarts so that it wouldn't be late. I laughed so hard through all the pleading, telling him I would take it there tomorrow morning and if he wanted to go with me, he would have to be up and ready early. He eagerly agreed, even though he hated waking up in the mornings.

When I got up and dressed, I found Harry already sitting downstairs eating breakfast and waiting. He was completely dressed, even his hair was smoothed back. I laughed softly when I saw how awake he was; he could barely keep his eyes open.

Once we got finished, we went to the floo access for the home, which remained off except for emergencies. We arrived at the Three Broomsticks without any problems. I had cast a glamour to obscure Harry's scar. Once outside, Harry's mouth dropped open at the sight of Hogsmeade. He kept looking left and right trying not to miss a thing. Once out of the town Harry asked, "What do I call you at school Aunt Mini?"

I smiled at him, "in class it would be Professor McGonagall, but if no one is around Aunt Mini will do." We arrived at the gates and ran into Hagrid.

"'Ello there Professor. Now who do we have 'ere now?"

Harry hid behind me. "Hagrid this Harry, Harry this is Hagrid."

Harry gave a quick hello and quickly hid behind me again. Hagrid gave a loud laugh at this.

"Here now, I won't bite ya. I would like to see more than a sliver of hair from ya."

Harry slowly moved from behind me and said, "your huge!" To which Hagrid just laughed. "'At I am, 'at I am."

As we approached the castle, Hagrid and Harry began talking about all the creatures that muggles thought were fake but were real. Once we reached sight of the castle, Harry's jaw dropped at the sight. Awe seemed to be the order of the day for Harry, as Hagrid offered to carry Harry on his shoulders.

"You can see for miles from here!" Harry was constantly looking around and I was afraid he might fall. Hagrid laughed at Harry's comment and agreed. Once we reached the doors, Hagrid departed saying he had to take care of some things.

Once we entered the castle, Harry seemed no longer surprised at it. The first picture we passed caused his jaw to drop yet again. A few portraits kept a conversation going with Harry as we made our way to the file room.

After filing away Harry acceptance form, an owl landed on my shoulder. Taking its letter I read:

_Minerva,_

_I would like to ask a favor of you. If you could come to Hogwarts at your earliest convenience, I would appreciate it._

Albus 

Sighing, I turned to Harry. "Would you like to meet the Headmaster Harry?"

Harry nodded and asked, "who's he?"

As we made our way to Albus' office, I explained about who Albus was. The castle must have detected my exhaustion because we ran into little trouble making our way there. The password hadn't been changed so we made our way up quickly.

Once Albus had called us in, Harry admired all the things he saw.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon Minerva."

"I brought Harry's form in and Harry wanted to see the castle so I'm here."

Albus handed me a paper, "this is a young lady who will be attending next year. She has muggles as parents so I wanted to ask you to help with any questions they have."

I agreed, it almost always helped to have a fully trained wizard or witch there in case the parents were upset with their child's ability.

We made a little small talk, as we had just seen each other yesterday, before we made our good-byes.

As we were leaving, I told Harry about what Albus wanted me to do. Harry was enthusiastic about the idea. He asked if he could come when I went, and I agreed.

A few weeks later, I stood on the doorstep of the Grangers with Harry and rang the doorbell.

**A/n: Next up, talking with the Grangers and going to Diagon Alley.**


	3. Meet the Grangers: A visit to Diagon All...

**Meet the Grangers: A visit to Diagon Alley**

**(Harry's perspective)**

Mini had come to this really nice house because Dumbledore asked her to, I was here because she thought it would be nice for the young girl who would be going to Hogwarts to meet someone her own age.

Mini and I waited for someone to answer the door, when they answered Mini said, "Hello, I'm Minerva McGonagall, I believe you were informed I would be coming." The lady nodded and invited us in. When Mini noticed the lady looking at me she said, "this is Harry. Harry this is Mrs. Granger."

I held out my hand, "a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Granger." She was surprised I guess by my actions, most others my age were very informal. Mrs. Granger escorted us into their sitting room where we were introduced to Mr. Granger and a young girl named Hermione. Mini started to explain about the wizarding world, how magic was real and the like. Mr. and Mrs. Granger seemed skeptical but Mini showed them by floating their table a foot off the ground.

I started shifting in my seat to stay awake, Mrs. Granger noticed this and said, "Hermione, perhaps you would like to show Harry some of your toys?" Hermione nodded her agreement. I followed her up to a room that was filled with toys. While there wasn't a large amount, it certainly wasn't small. I looked around for something to pass the time with when Hermione said, "do you go to Hogwarts?"

I looked at her and said, "not yet, I start this year, I'm hoping to get into Gryffindor." She look curious and said, "Gryffindor?"

I took a seat; "Hogwarts have four houses, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Gryffindor. Each house is named after one of the founders of Hogwarts. People are separated by the traits of the founders, what each preferred in his students. Ravenclaw's main attribute is intelligence, Hufflepuff's loyalty, Slytherin's cunning, and Gryffindor's is courage."

Hermione nodded her head, "so why do you want to be in Gryffindor?" I smiled, "Mini is the head of house and my parents were Gryffindors." "Who's Mini," Hermione asked.

I smacked myself slightly; "I'm going to have to learn not to do that. Mini is Professor McGonagall; she's sitting downstairs."

"Why did she bring you here with her? Are you just here to keep me out of their way?"

I shook my head, "no. Mini-McGonagall brought me for two reasons. One, we're going to Diagon Alley to get school supplies. Two, she thought it would be nice for you to have someone your own age to talk to."

"Oh." She hung her head, "I'm sorry. So what's the wizarding world really like?" I shrugged my shoulders, "I don't know. I've only seen some and that was very brief. I can tell you that you will be amazed at Hogwarts."

We spent the entire time talking about the little I knew about the wizarding world, until Mini came to show it to us.

**(McGonagall's perspective)**

I admit, they were taking it rather well. The Grangers were calm about learning that most of what they believed was fantasy was actually real. We spent most of the time with me explaining about the various courses she would be taking, what restrictions there were about how much they were aloud to talk about the wizarding world and such.

When Mrs. Granger had sent Harry off with their daughter, I didn't understand why. She quickly explained, "he seemed restless. I thought he might have been more comfortable with someone his own age to talk to." I agreed it was good for Harry to have someone his own age, he spent far too much time in books than with friends.

When I told them that I would show them how to get to Diagon Alley, they asked when that would happen, I explained it would be at their earliest convince so they said, "how about today?" I agreed as I was taking Harry to Diagon Alley today anyway.

When Mrs. Granger and I found Harry and Hermione, they were talking about the things he saw in the wizarding world. I realized that I would soon have to tell him that he was a celebrity and why.

The five of us stood outside and I raised my wand to summon the knight bus. I heard Harry say, "it's the best way for large groups of wizards to travel, but not exactly the most enjoyable." I quickly said how many passengers and paid the toll. I explained to the Grangers that they would need to hold on tight, as the bus rarely ever slows to a stop or speeds up. They looked and saw Harry with a tight grip on the chair he was sitting in and took head. The bus took off with a bang, and the Grangers watched the countryside fly by the window. As we were the only one's on, we quickly arrived at our destination. We walked in and Tom greeted us, we walked towards the back where I took out my wand and tapped the sequence to unlock the gate. "Welcome to Diagon Alley."

**(Harry's perspective)**

Wow.

That summed up my first impression of Diagon Alley. We walked towards a big white building with the word 'Gringotts' on the front. Mini waved at a plaque that read:

_Enter, stranger, but take heed  
Of what awaits the sin of greed  
For those who take, but do not earn,  
Must pay most dearly in their turn.  
So if you seek beneath our floors  
A treasure that was never yours,  
Thief, you have been warned, beware  
Of finding more than treasure there._

"That is a very accurate statement to my knowledge," said Mini. We walked into the bank and saw hundreds of Goblins walking around doing business. The Grangers looked uncomfortable, but Mini assured them that they wouldn't be harmed. Mini showed them where they line for exchanging muggle money for Galleons. Mini guided me over to another line saying, "I'll take Harry down to get some money." As we got in line,we noticed Hagrid in front of us.

After saying their greetings Hagrid arrived at the counter. "I be needing to give ya this," as he handed a letter to the goblin. The goblin quickly read over it and nodded. As he turned to Mini she said, "I need to make a withdrawal from this account," as she handed over a small gold key. The Goblin studied it and nodded, "Griphook will take you both down."

As we rode the carts down, Mini and Hagrid looked a little green. We arrived at Mini's stop first, when the Goblin opened the door I was amazed at the amount of gold there was. After a little coaxing from Mini, I filled up a bag full of Galleons. As we rode to Hagrid's vault, I wondered not for the first time about my parents. Mini told me they had been killed near the end of the last war, against a man called Voldemort, and that they were students of hers, ones she was very proud to have taught. I wondered whose money that was in there, Mini's or my parents.

We arrived at Hagrid's stop quickly enough. The goblin ran his finger along the center of the door, causing it to fold away. He turned to me and said, "if anyone other than a Gringotts Goblin tried that, they would be sealed inside."

"How often do you check up on it?"

"Every century or so."

Hagrid quickly reached in and grabbed a package that I couldn't quite see. Hagrid said, "that's all, can we go slower please?"

Griphook smirked, "one speed only."

We quickly made the trip back to the surface and meet up with the Grangers after saying goodbye to Hagrid. Our first stop was Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Mini explained that we, meaning Hermione and me, needed robes for the year and that I needed casual robes for everyday use. After a few minutes they had taken our measurements and said to come back in a few hours for the robes. Apparently they had a lot of orders to fill that day.

Our next stop was a shop called, 'Trunks and Such'. There were trunks of all different sizes and kinds. The clerk came and asked what kind we wanted and Mini replied, "we need two trunks with lightening and shrinking enchantments in place that can allow a under-age person to use them." The clerk quickly showed us several that had what she asked for and more. Hermione picked one at what seemed like random; it was a basic one. I myself liked a trunk with a deer, wolf and dog motif.

We went next to Flourish and Blotts to pick up the following books:

The Standard Book of Spells (grade 1) By Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

We gave our lists to the clerk how pulled out two stacks of books and placed them in our trunks. Hermione asked if she could get some more books for reading and her parents agreed. I walked around the store browsing when I saw, Curses and Counter-curses_ (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying, and Much, Much More) _by Professor Vindictus Viridian. Mini found me reading it and said, "I'll get it for, but you better not use them on someone who isn't actually attacking you." I agreed and added it to my books. Hermione picked up Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century and Modern Magical History.

Our next stop was the Apothecary to get our potions equipment, Mini had told me the Potions Professor was really harsh and that I would need to study hard to keep from being embarrassed. So I bought extra to try some of the potions out before I had a class.

Our last stop for the day was 'Ollivander's (Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC)'. Mini said that there was something she needed to do and to go on in. Walking in felt like walking into a church, there was a hushed power that seemed to radiate from the boxes. Soon an old man came and said, "welcome, welcome." Looking at me he said, "I've been expecting you for a while Mr. Potter. Your father's wand was mahogany, 11", pliable, excellent for transfiguration. Your mother's was willow, 10 1/4", swishy, good for charm work." He rubbed his hands together and said, "shall we get started?"

Hermione went first while the old man rattled off various features of each of the wands. After about forty wands, she ended up with vine wood and dragon heartstring, 10". As it was my turn, he again explained about the differences in each wand. I was pretty sure we went through half the store, with the old man grinning like the Cheshire Cat the longer it took. I heard him mutter under his breath, "I wonder."

He brought an open box and held it out to me, once I grabbed it I knew it was the right one. I waved it through the air and it gave off red and gold sparks. Mr. Ollivander said, "curious, very curious." Not wanting to get into what was curious in front of the Grangers, I let it slide.

Mini met us outside with an owl. She handed her to me and said, "early birthday present." The owl was a large snowy owl, currently she was asleep. Once we arrived at the exit from the Leaky Caldron to the muggle world, Mini gave the Grangers Hermione's ticket for the train. After saying goodbye, Mini and I went home to enjoy the last of the Holidays.

**A/n: Next, Harry learns about his history and fame, the train to Hogwarts. Many thanks to The Harry Potter Lexicon. It gave me info that I didn't have, like what Hermione's wand was. Wow, so many reviews, so little time.**

**Question: Should I leave Ron out of the picture till I need him, or should I put him in when Rowling does?**

**Thanks to Shadow Rains, Pakerin Pyros, danniegirl85, Sarahamanda, Lady Maethoriel, athenakitty, Sternchen-1986, and Hippy Gypsy for the reviews.**

**athenakitty: yes, Yen and Yang are house elves.**

**Pakerin Pyros: You don't see much of Hermione's character right now, but Harry will affect how her attitude in school is.**


	4. Explanations: Train to Hogwarts

**Explanations: Train to Hogwarts**

**(McGonagall's Perspective)**

Soon I would have no other choice but to tell him. We had been home a couple of days after we had went to Diagon Alley, when I decided to sit Harry down and tell him about his history. "Harry," I began, "there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it Mini?"

"Well you remember when I told you how your parents died right?" After he nodded I said, "well that wasn't all to the story."

"You already told me about Dumbledore wanting to leave me at the Dursleys."

"That's not it. When Voldemort went to kill your parents, he also tried to kill you. For some reason, the spell that was meant to kill you, bounced back and hit him. Ever since then, you have been known as the boy-who-lived in the wizard world."

Harry blinked a few times, "is that why you placed that glamour on my head, so people wouldn't know it was me and bother us?"

I nodded, I wasn't completely sure how he would take it. Harry smiled, "thank you for telling me Mini." I was surprised at how well he was taking it, "you're fine with this?" "Yes Mini, better it from you than someone I don't know."

I wrapped Harry in a hug, I was so glad he wasn't mad at me for not telling him sooner. Harry said, "did you think I would be mad Mini? I know you don't tell me things I don't need to know." Where had Harry gotten such a calm reasoning from? I know it wasn't from me.

We talked about the various things he was curious about, namely whose money was in the vault he withdrew from. After an hour, Harry went off to enjoy the last of his summer and I went to prepare for the coming year.

**(Harry's Perspective)**

"She told you has she?"

I saw Sal, who always took care of Mini, standing off to the side. Sal was the eldest house elf and had served for a very long time. "Yes she did." Nothing more needed to be said, Yen had let it slip about a year ago. I never told Mini I knew, I thought there was a reason she hadn't told me before now. Quickly walking over to the potion supplies, I began the potion quiz in the back of the book.

I had been working on potions ever since we had returned from Diagon Alley. I had been very fortunate that the potions I worked on didn't have very bad properties if they were botched. I went from barely being able to make a potion if I wasn't closely paying attention, to being able to read ahead and prepare ingredients as I needed them.

The final days before Hogwarts found all of us in somber moods. Yen and Yang, who had just had a child, were upset because their 'child' wasn't going to be with them anymore. Sal had enjoyed having people to work under for more than a few months, Mini was afraid. Of what I didn't know, but I did know it was something about me.

Mini had told me once that no one ever thought of her as raising a child, she was too focused on her work. No one, except Dumbledore, knew she had raised me.

The Day we were to leave for Hogwarts, Mini took me to the station. As we reached the area outside the platform, Mini said, "I'll see at Hogwarts Harry. Try not to get into trouble before you get there, ok?" I nodded. Suddenly I gave her a hug, I wasn't sure why exactly, and we never really expressed emotions this way.

"I love you Mini."

She knelt down, "I know Harry. I love you to. Now you need to get on the train."

Shortly after she said that, the Grangers walked up. As Mr. and Mrs. Granger said goodbye to Hermione, the two of us stepped through to Platform 9 and ¾. We found a place where everyone else wasn't. As the time grew nearer to depart, we heard a conversation outside our window.

"Don't worry Gin, we'll send you a toilet seat."

"Fred!"

"I'm not Fred, he's Fred, come on mum, can't you tell us apart?"

The train started soon afterwards. We were sitting in comfortable silence until the door opened. "Can I sit here? Every where else is full." Nodding, he took a seat across from me. "My name's Ron. Ron Weasley."

"I'm Hermione Granger, This is Harry."

Ron looked at me, "you have a last name?"

"Potter," I replied.

His eyes flickered to my brow. "Good one, you had me going .You don't have the scar."

I took out my handkerchief and removed the cover up we used to hid my scar. "You happy now?" Ron's eyes widened, "That's where you-know-who tried to kill you."

"Thank you for stating the obvious. If you're curious, no I don't remember anything about it."

I heard Ron mutter, "must be nice to be famous." I let out a laugh. Ron looked at me guiltily, realizing that he had been caught. Ron, deciding to change topics, "what house do you think you will be in?"

"Well I'll most likely be in Ravenclaw," Hermione said. They both looked at me, though Hermione knew my answer.

"I'll be in Gryffindor, no matter what."

Ron seemed taken aback, "how can you be sure, you don't even know how they sort people."

I smirked, "yes I do. I also have it on good information that there are ways to ensure you get into the house you want."

Ron's expression was one of curiosity, "how do you know that?"

"My Aunt Mini told me."

We spent most of the ride talking about classes and what we expected. The food trolley came by, Ron mumbled something about bringing his lunch, Hermione said she wasn't hungry, so I decided to buy an assortment of everything. After that, we spent most of the time enjoying the snacks we had.

After the announcement that we were twenty minutes from the end, we had another visitor.

"I heard Harry Potter was here." The boy in the door was a rather pale, with white blond hair and gray eyes. He had two henchmen behind him.

"Really," I replied looking around, "nope sorry don't see him."

Hermione sat still, giving away nothing. Ron on the other hand, obviously had no developed sense of sarcasm, "What are you talking about, your Harry Potter."

The boy in the door cracked a smile, "interesting sense of humor you have there Potter." "I'm Draco Malfoy."

Ron snickered when Draco said his name. Draco glared at him, "think my name is funny do you? No need to ask what your name is. Red hair and a hand-me-down robe, you can only be a Weasley."

He turned to me and held out his hand, "you'll find that some wizard families are better than others. I can help you."

I just looked at him. For a long while no one said anything. I knew the name Malfoy, this boy's father was a death eater in the last war. Mini told me never to hold the actions of one person against another. "I neither accept or refuse. I will remember your offer." Malfoy seemed comforted that I hadn't rejected him out right. He nodded his understanding and left.

Ron looked at me incredulously, "you can't be serious. Do you know who the Malfoy's are?"

Giving Ron a level stare I replied, "yes I do. I was taught never to judge a person on the actions they themselves haven't done yet."

Ron nodded some what dazed. Hermione excused herself to change into her school robes while Ron and I did the same.

We arrived at Hogsmeade station and were told to leave our trunks on the train. Over all the excited talking I heard, "Fir' y'ers! All Fir' y'ers over here!"

We made our way over to Hagrid who was calling. Ron and Hermione stared at him while I said, "how are you Hagrid?"

"Good there Harry, Good." He continued to call all first years to him. Once he gathered us up, he told us to get into the boats that were lined along the shore. Hermione, Ron and I got in the boat with a boy named Neville Longbottom. We made our way across the lake and were given our first view of Hogwarts. There were many people who gave off sounds of amazement.

Once we arrived at the grounds, Hagrid checked to make sure everyone had everything. Once he had assured that, He knocked on the door.

When the doors opened, I saw Mini/Professor McGonagall standing there saying, "welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." She escorted us to a small room and said, "wait here. You will soon be sorted into your houses. I will return when you are to enter."

Hermione tugged on my sleeve, "Harry, how do you ensure which house you get into," She asked quietly.

"When we are sorted, they place a hat that does the actual sorting. It looks into your mind and tries to judge how you fit in its definition of each house. The trick is to keep the house you want in your mind and keep arguing with it until it agrees."

Hermione looked at me, "are you sure that you'll be in Gryffindor?"

"Yes, even if I have to argue with it all night."

We didn't get to say much more as Professor McGonagall came to escort us in. I got my first look around and realized that I was a little nervous, though I wasn't as bad as some. Mini placed the sorting hat on a stool, and it sang:

_Oh you may not think me pretty,_  
_But don't judge on what you see,_  
_I'll eat myself if you can find_  
_A smarter hat than me._  
_You can keep your bowlers black,_  
_Your top hats sleek and tall,_  
_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_  
_And I can cap them all._  
_There's nothing hidden in your head_  
_The Sorting Hat can't see,_  
_So try me on and I will tell you_  
_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_  
_Where dwell the brave at heart,_  
_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_  
_Set Gryffindors apart;_  
_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_  
_Where they are just and loyal,_  
_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_  
_And unafraid of toil;_  
_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_  
_If you've a ready mind,_  
_Where those of wit and learning,_  
_Will always find their kind;_  
_Or perhaps in Slytherin_  
_You'll make your real friends,_  
_Those cunning folks use any means_  
_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_  
_And don't get in a flap!_  
_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_  
_For I'm a Thinking Cap!_

Everyone clapped at the end, the hat bowed to each of the house tables. Mini began reading off name's and I zoned out while I waited.

"Granger, Hermione" caused me to look up again. I saw Hermione glance at me before the hat blocked her sight. I wanted Hermione to get into Gryffindor, at least then I would have a friend who wouldn't judge me. A couple minutes later, "Gryffindor" rang out as Hermione ran over to the table that was clapping.

The name kept on moving. "Malfoy, Draco" was sorted into Slytherin. Soon it was my turn.

"Potter, Harry."

There were murmurs around the room. I noticed Hermione giving me a puzzled looked before the hat blocked my view.

'Well now, let's,' it began.

'Gryffindor,' I thought at it.

'What? Oh well, I suppose you can go, but don't you want to know where you stand in comparison to the other houses?'

'Not particularly. I know where my friends are.'

Well, then. I see you've made up your mind.' "Gryffindor" rang in my ears. Lifting the hat gently, I placed it back on the stool. Walking over to the Gryffindor table, I found myself seated between two identical red heads.

The only other person I noted was that Ron was placed in Gryffindor. Once the sorting was complete, Dumbledore said some nonsense and the feast got underway. As we began eating, the red head on my right said, "so your Harry Potter."

"Pleasure meeting you," said the other.

I'm Fred."

I'm George."

Or is he Forge?"

"And I'm Gred?"

"Either way, were the Weasley twins," they chorused together.

"Ignore them, it only encourages them. By the way I'm Percy Weasley," said the red head sitting next to Hermione.

Dinner was enjoyable, I meet a lot of the other Gryffindors. After the feast was finished, Dumbledore stood again. "I have a few start of term announcements. First, as always, the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students. Some of us should pay better head to this." He looked pointedly at Fred and George. "Secondly, Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that there is to be no magic used in the halls. Finally, the third floor corridor on the left side is off-limits to anyone who does not wish a painful death." A few people laughed at this.

"Now that business is out of the way, time for the school song." Most of the teachers smiles became fixed at this point.

_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_  
_Teach us something, please,_  
_Whether we be old and bald_  
_Or young with scabby knees,_  
_Our heads could do with filling_  
_With some interesting stuff,_  
_For now they're bare and full of air,_  
_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_  
_So teach us things worth knowing,_  
_Bring back what we've forgot,_  
_Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_  
_And learn until our brains all rot._

Once Fred and George finished, they sang it to the tune of a funeral dirge, Dumbledore dismissed us to our common rooms.

Hermione came up beside me, questions clearly written on her face. "Tomorrow Hermione," I said quickly, "let's talk about it tomorrow." She nodded and quickly went to bed.

As I lay in bed, I realized that I missed having Mini tell me goodnight. With that thought on my mind, I fell asleep.

* * *

**A/n: Thank you for the reviews. Next lessons with Mini and Snape.**


	5. First Day

**First Day**

**A/n: I will be using multiple perspectives in this chap. You have been warned.**

**(Harry)**

I woke up in the morning slightly groggy, but a shower quickly fixed that. I got dressed and met up with Hermione in the common room and went to breakfast. Hermione asked me why I had been whispered about last night, and I explained that I apparently was famous for something I could barely remember. As we sat down to breakfast, I saw Mini wasn't at her seat.

We both discussed what we thought would be the most interesting classes, I said Transfiguration, and Hermione said charms. We bickered back and forth, neither taking offense, until Mini arrived with our class schedule. We had Transfiguration, followed by Charms, then a break for lunch, and ended the day with Potions.

I heard a voice call over my shoulder, "you got potions on your first day, I feel sorry for you." Turning I saw one of the Weasley twins standing behind Hermione wincing.

"What's so bad about Potions," asked Hermione. Fred, I think, shook his head sadly.

"Snape has a distinct dislike for Gryffindors. If you make it through a class without losing points, consider yourself lucky. And you've got it with Slytherin, which means you're definitely in for it. Slytherin is Snape's house, he always favors them."

Hermione tried to argue that a professor wouldn't do that, but Fred, it was definitely him, walked away not listening. Before she could start on me I said, "we'll find out soon enough." We left the table to go to our transfiguration class.

**(McGonagall)**

I had arrived at my class to steady my nerves. Soon I would be teaching Harry for the first time. I didn't want to show undue criticism or praise, but I felt that I would. Harry was so dear to me, I didn't want to discourage him by seeming distant, but I felt the fewer who knew about my raising Harry would be more beneficial to him in the long run.

Harry and Hermione were the first to enter, Harry giving me a big smile. I smiled back and proceeded to straighten my notes. Once the class had arrived, I performed my standard introduction, changing my desk into a cow and back. Turning to the class, I started to explain that this was advanced-

"MMMMOOOOOOO"

Spinning around, I found my desk transformed back to a cow. I reversed it, much to the amusement of the class. I noticed Harry was looking completely surprised at it, too much to be real. Harry made eye contact before winking, which surprised me. I would definitely need to talk to him after class.

I continued with the class detailing the theory behind transfiguration before setting them to change matchsticks into needles. Everyone began attempting to change their matches, but I noticed Harry wasn't the first to complete the change, Hermione was. Though I felt bewildered at this, I refrained from saying nothing. Harry was about ten seconds behind Hermione in changing the match, and I awarded ten points to each of them. Harry kept giving me meaningful looks, but I couldn't figure out what he was trying to say.

I had Harry and Hermione attempt to reverse the process while I helped the other students. Neville Longbottom, who was sitting near Harry, quickly began to make a great deal of progress. Harry and Hermione seemed to be guiding him towards the correct way, without actually telling him the answer.

The class ended with a few who were fairly close, no one but Hermione and Harry actually finished it. I asked Harry to remain back. "What happened Harry? Did you cause the desk to change?"

He hung his head, "yes Mini, I just wanted you to know how good I was, as I was going to be lying the entire class."

I was definitely confused, "why were you lying the entire class?"

"I didn't want it to seem that I had received prior training so I did that to let you know I could. I didn't want to be anymore different than I already was."

I nodded as I began to understand. "So you showed me what you could do, but kept your skills behind Ms. Granger."

He shrugged, "we had talked on the way here. Did you know as far as the entire Wizard World is concerned, I was raised by muggles? Someone called the Dursleys."

I was surprised, "no I didn't know that. So you figured if you stayed behind Ms. Granger's level of accomplishment, it would seem that you simply study hard."

"That was the idea. Hermione is the only one who knows I'm holding back. Well, Neville saw me change the desk, so I explained that I simply imitated what I saw you do, and it happened to work."

"Did he buy it?"

"I doubt it, but Neville's not the type to run off and say anything." He gave me the oddest look, "for some reason, I feel I can trust him."

I nodded, "thank you for explaining it to me Harry, hurry to your next class." Once Harry was out the door, I made a floo call.

**(Flitwick)**

"I understand Minerva. I will keep an eye on him." Minerva had just informed me of the most amazing thing, a student that might be more skilled than the average first year. This should be interesting.

I watched as my class entered. Few apparently wanted to sit up front, except for Harry Potter, a girl I believed was called Ms. Granger, and Neville Longbottom. I called roll and began to instruct the class in the basics of charms. I demonstrated by calling Neville's toad. I noticed Harry's eyes glaze for a second as I cast the spell, almost as if he were trying to memorize the spell just on sight.

We continued on this course for a while. Finally I assigned them a simple hair color change spell. Harry was the first to ask for help. "Yes Mr. Potter?"

Could you pronounce the spell on more time please Professor?" I complied, noting that he drifted into a trance like state as he heard it. I walked around correcting the slight mispronunciations and wand movements. When I looked back at Harry, I noticed he seemed to be helping Neville with performing the charm, while laughing at the odd effects it had. It seemed odd that he was so insistent to aid another student when he had not the time to master the charm.

After I returned to the front of the class, I watched Harry perform the spell perfectly on Ms. Granger. After Harry reversed it. Neville imitated the movements and cast the spell on Harry. Seeing Neville get it correct, they had him perform the counter. After his accomplishment, they proceeded to attempt different colors, getting some interesting results.

As class ended, I noted several people sending glares at the three at the front of class. It wasn't that they were particularly loud, it seemed that they glared at for getting the spell nearly perfect by the end of class.

I decided that I should tell Minerva about this development, and what I noted about Harry's ability to perform charms.

**(Harry)**

This is just great.

I noticed everyone was glaring at us during class, but I didn't bother to tell either Hermione or Neville, I got the impression that neither would be viewed in a normal light. I silently cursed my stupidity, I should have kept my self slower, but I couldn't explain why once I witnessed a spell being cast, I would be able to perform it as long as I was paying attention.

I hadn't lied to either Neville or Mini about the desk. It was the first time I had done it, but I did attempt it to show Mini what I could do. Now it seemed that everyone was glaring at us. We sat down to eat, Neville and Hermione seemed unfazed by the attitude towards us, so I decided to say nothing, let them come to the realization on their own. I watched everyone create a rift, most likely because the three of us were showing how capable we were.

Towards the end of lunch, We got up to go to the dungeons for Potions.

This day could not get any worse.

**(Neville)**

I had noticed that everyone was glaring at us, but I said nothing. I realized that everyone was going to assume that we would get some special treatment because we befriended 'the boy-who-lived'. After lunch, we arrived at the classroom early. Once everyone was seated, the side door banged open.

Professor Snape started off by calling off roll. Once he got to Harry's name, he said, "Potter, our new celebrity." Harry didn't respond to the obvious taunt.

"Potter what would I get if I add powered asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Harry closed his eyes for a moment.

"A potion called the Draught of Living Death."

Snape seemed impressed. "Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

"In a goat."

"What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?

"Nothing Professor."

Snape's eyes narrowed. For a long moment no one dared move. Turning to the class he said, "why aren't you writing this down?" He flicked his wand towards the board and told us to begin.

I was impressed with Harry's ability to remain perfectly calm after being thrown in to a quiz five minutes into the class. I focused on my potion, intent to at least match Harry.

**(Harry)**

Greasy git.

I am so glad I studied potions before school. I learned most of that towards the very end. I made sure not to attract attention to myself, I could tell he was trying to find a reason to take house points. Sure enough, he found them. Neville added an ingredient too early and had it spill on him.

Soon after Neville left, the class ended. As we were walking out, Malfoy caught up to me and Hermione.

"Have you considered my offer?" I looked at him, I admit he was taking a big risk.

"It depends."

"On what?"

"On you. Your actions may alter the balance of my decision."

On of the other Slytherins came over, "Malfoy why are you anywhere that Mud-" I had my wand out in a blink.

"Finish that word, and you'll find out that I can hurt much worse than you have ever been before."

Malfoy pushed the other Slytherin aside and started talking to them. I walked with Hermione up towards the great hall for supper. We arrived at the table and began eating. Neville joined us soon after.

When we were heading up to the common room, I noticed the quiet from the others. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing I'm just tired," replied Neville. Hermione said the same. We sat out our homework and began to get it done.

**(Minerva)**

"So that's how he did it."

"Yes Minerva, Harry has the ability to see a spell and perform it. This is a rare ability."

Another thing to make Harry different. All he wanted to be was normal, and he kept having things happen that made him abnormal. "I will talk to him Filius."

"I recommend you do it soon. He has enough on his plate being famous, add to it this and he might retreat to keep himself safe," said Filius.

"Harry wouldn't run away."

Filius shook his head, "I never said he would. Do you honestly think he wouldn't shirk the ability to make him seem more normal?"

Harry had said that he was holding back, to appear less than he was. I wanted to just hold him and say that no one cares, but people tend to be jealous of those who appear better. "I don't know."

Filius leaned in, "think Minerva, we could tutor him on the side. This would allow us to explain away his skill, while allowing him to practice harder magic."

I shook my head, "he hasn't needed it before, we couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation for it."

Filius smiled, "I was intending to include Neville in it as well. Both boys have the potential, in Neville's case it is undermined by his insecurity. Ms. Granger could be there to help coax them, at least that would be the official story."

I frowned, "that is stretching the truth a bit much."

Filius shook his head, "not really. Ms. Granger would be there to practice more advance magic as well as encourage them. As for Harry and Neville, they both 'appeared' to need Ms. Granger's help to perform the charm. This alleviates the idea we are teaching them advance magic."

"Wouldn't this seem like favoritism?"

"Not in my case, I have been giving aid for years. I have two open hours for each house. I would be more than willing to schedule it off the allotted times so they could receive more direct treatment."

I sat there thinking about it. It was a good idea, but I didn't think they should be singled out. Surely there were others who could use the extra benefit? I said as much. Filius smiled, "yes but most of them are in Ravenclaw. I have already taught all the first years at least once today. There aren't any others in the other three houses. My Ravenclaws ask me for advance tutoring all the time."

I agreed. I would speak to Harry at the end of the week. I almost feared that he would reject it out of hand. Sighing, I bid Filius goodnight. Retiring to my chamber, I prepared for bed. My last thought before sleep was:

How much of a joy it could be if he agreed.

**A/N: Whew! Thank you for all the reviews! Next: Harry gets to choose, does he want extra training or will he simply hold back?**


	6. Path Less Taken

**Path Less Taken**

**(Harry)**

Mini had called me into her office on Friday. We sat and talked about the week and all the things I learned. Finally she got to the reason she asked me here. "Harry, Filius told me that you can watch a spell being preformed and copy it. Is this true?"

I nodded. I was embarrassed that I had been found out. Mini smiled sadly at me before continuing. "Filius wants to know if you would like to receive tutoring for more advanced magic." She held up a hand to forestall my argument, "I know that you don't want to be seen as different, but Filius believes as I do. You could be great, the best to walk through these halls."

I thought about it, I knew Mini was one to worry about favoritism, so I knew if she was asking me this she felt it wouldn't show any. "Am I the only one who will be taking the tutoring?"

She shook her head, which relaxed me. "Mr. Longbottom and Ms. Granger will be joining you."

I cocked my head, "how is this not favoritism?"

"Because there are times set aside for people who wish extra tutoring to come and ask for it. Most either don't want it, need it, or they feel pressured not to go." She smiled, I knew she had been think up all my arguments since she had this first brought to her attention. "I would like to spend more time with you Harry, if you believe Ms. Granger and Mr. Longbottom can be trusted, then tell them the truth about your upbringing."

I smiled, "Hermione already knows. As for Neville, I know he will be trustworthy." We talked about the week and ate supper together. I returned smiling to the common room.

When I walked over to Hermione and Neville, Hermione asked, Where did you go Harry? You missed supper." I raised a privacy bubble, to the surprise of Hermione and Neville, and told them about what Mini had said.

Hermione was ecstatic, but Neville was a little subdued at it. When I said that Professor Flitwick had said that he had talent, he perked up. We made all agreed to go together.

The next month had us training under Mini and/or Flitwick. Mini gradually picked up the pace, we were soon at the level the rest of the class would be at the beginning of Christmas break. Charms was a lot easier, Flitwick said that we would probably at the end of the first year curriculum by Christmas.

Some of the other Gryffindors began treating us, mostly Hermione, differently. I overheard a few guys say that she was a know it all, they seemed to ignore that Neville and I were in the same boat.

When we had our flying lessons was when the split became fully evident. We had Slytherins with us. It started off simple, Hermione and Neville were pouring over a book about the mechanics of flying. Everyone else ignored it, though I tried to tell them that it was easy.

Once we were out on the pitch, Madam Hooch told us to line up on the brooms. She said, "hold your hand over your broom and say in a clear voice 'up'." I did it on my first try, it came right to my hand. Hermione voice betrayed that she didn't want to fly and Neville's came up so fast it bounced off his hand.

Once we were mounted, Madam Hooch came by and corrected our grips. Right as we were about to take off for the first time, Neville jumped the wand. He lifted off the ground to about forty feet before he fell off the broom. Madam Hooch took Neville to the Hospital wing and told everyone to stay on the ground.

Malfoy picked up Neville's remembrall and started taunting with it. "Give it here Malfoy," I said softly, yet loud enough to be heard clearly. Malfoy was glaring at me trying to decide if he would listen to me or not.

He smirked, "I'll leave it for him on the roof." He took off and floated at a good height. "What's the matter, afraid to come up after me?"

I shook my head, idiot isn't going to get me up there. Pulling out my wand I muttered "accio remembrall." It flew out of Malfoy's hand and to me. As I caught it I noticed several people looking at me as if I had done something offensive.

"To scared to fly Potter," Malfoy yelled angrily. I knew that for 'honor' I should have gone after him, but there was no point in chasing him when what I did worked better.

"There's no reason to, you're not worth the effort." This caused Malfoy's pale face to turn red. Before he could do more than sputter, Hooch came back out. The rest of the lesson went on without any of interference. I found it very easy flying, I felt as if all my problems faded away.

After the lesson we met Neville on the way to supper and I returned his remembrall to him. We sat down at the table, only to find a good size gap by most people. The Weasley twins and a few others seemed to find it funny how others reacted.

Fred and I talked about why everyone was acting this way. "It's gotten around that you and Malfoy are on speaking terms," Fred said. "Most people hate the Malfoy's because Malfoy sr. kept himself out of Azkaban with a liberal amount of money."

"What does that have to do with Draco Malfoy," I asked. "He didn't do anything in the last war."

Fred shrugged. "It's mostly that the Malfoy's have a long association with Slytherin, and Slytherin house has a long association with the dark arts."

I laughed. "So? Albus Dumbledore can use the dark arts, it has no bearing on him being in Gryffindor."

George chimed in, "How do you know what house Dumbledore was in?"

I smirked, "I have my ways."

Halloween dawned cold and gray. There were various decorations put up for the feast tonight. Classes were fun, In Transfiguration class we were still working on changing similar size objects to another one, but in Charms we started the levitation charm.

**(Think for a moment… What do you think is going to happen?)**

I was teamed with Neville, while Hermione was paired with Ron Weasley. About half way through the class, Flitwick had asked us to simply lay low for the beginning of class, I noticed Ron constantly miss-pronouncing the words.

Hermione tried to help him, "you're saying it wrong. Its Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."

"You do it then if you're so clever," Ron snarled.

Hermione rolled up her sleeve and said "Wingardium Leviosa." The feather they were working on floated up for a minute before setting back down. Ron looked furious.

"It's no wonder no one can stand her," I over heard Ron say in the hall after class. "She's a nightmare honestly."

I felt someone brush past me before I could react, it was Hermione and she was crying. Getting closer, with Neville right beside me, I tapped on Ron's shoulder and decked him as soon as he turned.

**(Neville)**

Ron went skidding from Harry's punch. After hearing someone insult my friend, I was quite ready to beat them senseless, but Harry got there first.

Harry looked like he was ready to kill Ron. Ron was helped up by a couple of other students who glared at me and Harry. I had my wand in hand incase this turned really nasty.

"If you ever insult my friends again, you better sleep with one eye open," Harry almost whispered. Almost because though his tone was quiet, his voice carried clearly. I got a look at his eyes, they were blazing with intensity.

Ron wasn't stupid, but he was dumb enough to provoke Harry. "Oh really? I doubt you have enough skill to do anything more than accidentally set my robes on fire." 'What an idiot,' was my thought.

Harry had his wand out in two seconds, he had practiced. "Care to find out?" At that point most of the hall had given them a wide area. Ron noticed this and seemed slightly unnerved.

"I refuse to lose any house points," Ron said with false confidence.

Harry let out a laugh that made my skin crawl. Before anything could happen, the Weasley twins grabbed Harry's arms. Harry did no more than look at them before lowering his wand.

**(Harry)**

When the Weasley twins showed up, I was slightly relieved. While I didn't want to show exactly how good I was, my loyalty to Hermione wouldn't let me back down. The twins looked at me with an expression that told me to leave it alone.

Nodding to them, I went to see if I could find Hermione. I managed to locate her in one of the girl's toilets, but my hands were tied about being able to comfort her. Neville and I sat for about ten minutes before we left to go to supper and bring up some food for her.

When we arrived, I noticed that a lot of people seemed to have changed their perspective about us. George told me that when I had been willing to stand down, most of the people in the house viewed that as the mature thing to do. Not ten minutes after I had sat down and gathered some food for Hermione, did the doors bang open.

T-troll! In the dungeon!" Professor Quirrell yelled before passing out. The entire hall erupted in with shouting and screams. Dumbledore let off a few bangs from his wand and quieted the hall. Instructing the students to return to their common rooms and the teachers to go to the dungeon.

I realized that Hermione didn't know about the troll. I separated myself from the group and went after Hermione. I quickly arrived at the bathroom she was in, only to see the troll enter.

**(Hermione) **

I had heard Harry tell me about ten minutes ago that he and Neville were going down to the great hall to get me some food. I heard the door open and came out to meet them. I froze when I saw a troll instead.

Before I could react, Harry came tearing in the room with his wand out. He shouted, "Hermione move!" I dodged in time to avoid being hit by the club the troll carried. Harry sent a spell at it and quickly came to my side.

The troll noticed his movement and raised his club to strike. I couldn't move as I watched it come down.

Suddenly there was a bright flash which caused me to flinch. With a sickening crunch I saw the troll fly into the back wall.

I had no chance to even think before several professors came in the door. Professor McGonagall asked, "What happened here? Why are you two not in your common room?"

I quickly thought up an excuse, but Harry started first. "Hermione was in here when Professor Quirrell came and made the announcement about the troll. I came here to take her to the common room when it showed up."

Professor Flitwick spoke up, "what spell did you use? The damage is very similar to a Reductor Curse, but much more powerful."

Harry shrugged, "I didn't really think, it kind of just happened."

The professors nodded but didn't say anything. Harry was deducted five points for coming, and ten for protecting another student. As we walked back to the common room turned towards him and said, "thank you."

He smiled slightly and replied, "anything for a friend."

**(Harry)**

"Anything for a friend."

As she turned back to the path, I couldn't help but think about the spell I used against the troll. I knew most of the professors would write it off as a burst of accidental magic, but it wasn't on accident.

When I couldn't get Hermione to move when the club was coming down, I could feel my fear overwhelm everything. I turned my fear for Hermione to rage at the troll and let it fly from my wand. The effect was the troll flying into the wall behind it.

When Mini showed up, I explained what happened, leaving out the why of it. I could tell Mini knew that I was leaving out something, but let it drop.

As soon as we arrived at the common room, Neville came over and asked, "where did you go? One second you were right behind me, the next you were gone." Once he saw Hermione though, understanding dawned on his face. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped."

I shrugged, "I didn't think, I just reacted." I was being honest, I really hadn't thought about taking Neville, I just went after Hermione.

We sat and enjoyed the feast together, though I cast Ron a few dark glances.

**(Neville)**

I watched Harry throw Ron a few dark looks now and then. I knew why he hadn't thought about taking me, Harry usually only thought of situations in the context of his own limitations. It became obvious that Harry was not used to relying on others to help him.

I knew Harry was a true friend, if I ever needed his help all I had to do was ask. If he needed help on the other hand, it would take a great deal of effort on his part to admit it. Harry's one flaw was that he rarely relied on other people's abilities, even when they would help him.

As we separated from Hermione and got ready for bed, I quietly said, "if you ever need any help Harry, just ask." His face showed confusion, but he nodded.

I only hope I can be able to help him.

* * *

**A/n: 2323 words. Thank you for the suggestions and reviews.**

**Things to remember:**

**Harry's attitude.**


	7. Christmas Break

**Chapter VII: Christmas Break**

Harry, Hermione and Neville walked to their last class of the term. Harry was happy that it was over, even if he was staying at the castle with Mini. Harry was known as one of the better students, even in potions. Hermione was tied with him, though she was better than him at theory, he was better than her at practical. Neville was third and was a balance between the two of them.

Harry was comfortable being in his own skin these days, except for nearly putting Ron through a wall a couple of times, and Malfoy right along side him, he was actually enjoying the red head's company especially when Harry wanted a challenge in chess. The two of them played one game a week which had brought a relaxation of tension between them.

Harry paid close attention to what Mini was saying, as she was supplying the course overview for the next term. Hermione was taking a rather large amount of notes, which she always seemed to do. He and Neville watched as she wrote the notes, even though it was simply what would be discussed next term.

After class, Harry walked up to talk with Mini as soon as everyone, including Hermione and Neville, left. "So we're staying at the castle for Christmas break Mini?"

She smiled sadly and nodded, "yes, I know you had your heart on returning home to visit with Sal, Yen, Yang and their son. Unfortunately I cannot go back, but they have agreed to come here." This brought a smile to Harry's face, as they had been the first friends he had.

Harry went to help Neville pack, since he couldn't get up the stairs and help Hermione. The next day would be the first time he would be able to spend as much time as he wanted with Mini. Even though he would miss his friends, he was happy to finally be able to visit his mother as much as he wanted. He had never actually called Mini his mother to her face, he never really thought about it as he was so used to calling her Mini, but he had always thought of her that way.

Harry and Neville joked awhile and soon finished packing, Hermione joined them as they did it by hand. It wasn't that they couldn't use magic, it simply was that none of them felt as if they were in any hurry to finish. Once that was done, the three of them sat and talked about their plans for the break. They both knew that Professor McGonagall was Harry's legal guardian, but didn't actually say anything about him visiting her.

Harry said that he had their presents, and that he hoped they would enjoy them. He had bought both of them wrist holsters for their wands, similar to the one he wore, and a book on the topic that had seemed to interest them the most. For Neville it was a book on Herbology, Hermione it was an introduction to various classes that could be taken in their third year. Knowing her it would keep her entertained at least until the break ended.

The next morning saw Harry waving at his friends until he could no longer see the carriage they rode in. The majority of the day was spent doing all the homework that had been ignored the day before. He quickly finished his homework and spent the time after supper to curfew just spending time with Mini. Returning to his dorm, Harry joined Ron in a game of chess, but his heart wasn't in it.

The next day found Harry helping Mini read and grade some of the other first year essays, while she focused on doing the second through seventh year ones. As Harry was already very skilled in the area the papers were on, it was not a stretch to read others and grade them. Harry and Mini were joined by Yen, Yang and their son, Kitsune, a couple of days later. Harry was happy to be around family again and played with Kitsune when he could.

The days until Christmas were oddly short, though it was most likely because Harry's days were filled with a lot of joy by being with his family, as odd as it was. Christmas day dawned bright and clear. Harry, noticing that he had no presents at the foot of his bed, quickly got up and went to Mini's quarters to say Happy Christmas. Sure enough, all the presents that were to be given to him were here. Harry was happy that he was with family and greeted Mini with a hug.

Mini, who was unused to overt displays of affection, got over her shock and returned the hug. They sat opening presents and just being happy that they were together. Harry received candy from Ron, a book on various hexes and curses from Hermione with a note that he should be careful not use them on another student, a new cloak from Mini, and several hand woven shirts, pants, and other clothing articles from Sal, Yen, Yang, and Kitsune.

Finally there was a final present that was simply address to him and didn't say who it was from. Curiously, Harry opened it to find a piece of cloth that seemed to shimmer in the light. Pulling it out, he found that it was a cloak. Mini's eyes widened when she looked at him, which caused harry to follow her line of sight. What he saw startled him, as he could no longer see his body.

Mini whispered, "that's an invisibility cloak, those are extremely rare." Harry took off the cloak and searched for any indication of who might have sent it. All he found was a note that read:

Your father left this in my possession, and I felt it was the right time to return it to its proper owner. Use it well.

Harry handed the note to Mini, but if she recognized it, she wasn't saying so. The day was anticlimactic compared to the mood that Harry started off in. Harry rarely thought about his parents, it was always a point of contention for him. He couldn't remember their faces but he vaguely remembered that they had loved him dearly, though he wasn't sure if that was wistful thinking.

Harry often wondered about his parents, what they had been like, what they liked to do, did they want him as a child. Harry had never told Mini that there were times, especially when he was younger, that he felt that his parents might have felt him to be a burden. After all he had seen how hard it was for Mini to raise him, and that was with the help of three house elves.

Harry spent a couple of hours staring at his canopy before deciding to go for a walk. Grabbing his invisibility cloak, he wandered around Hogwarts, almost running into Filch. Dodging into a class room, he noticed a mirror standing in the corner. Walking up to it, he read: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. Harry contemplated what this could mean until he decided to read it backwards. It read, I show not your face but your heart's desire, which interested Harry and he stepped in front of it.

What Harry saw caused him to flinch. He saw a man that look incredibly like him standing slightly off his right side. He noticed that the man was very similar except that he had different eyes, his were hazel. Off his left, a very pretty woman with long dark red hair and eyes the same shade of green as his own. He stood there just looking at them as he watched a scene in a muggle movie. He watched them playing with a small child with a look of joy and love on their faces.

Harry looked closer and noticed that the child look like pictures Mini had of him when he was just a baby. Suddenly it clicked, these were his parents. He watched, until he noticed that the sun had risen, various events that displayed Harry and his parents together.

Returning to his common room, he lay in bed wondering why the mirror only showed images of Harry and his parents when they were happy, but didn't feel comfortable talking to Mini about it. He would never burden her with knowing that he was curious about his biological parents.

Harry spent time helping Mini with the various papers she had to grade, played a few games with the Weasley twins, and played several games of chess with Ron. At night, he returned to the mirror to watch his parents with him for hours before returning to bed. It comforted him to see that his parents had enjoyed having him for the short time they did. The third night he was barely able to wait for everyone to fall asleep before rushing to watch his family.

As he sat there entranced, he heard someone clear their throat. Spinning around, he saw the headmaster watching him with pleasant, but neutral expression. "I see you have discovered the mirror's unique ability," he said evenly.

Harry simply stood and nodded. He didn't want to get in trouble, that would mean that he failed Mini. He watched the headmaster walk towards him, as he stood in nervous silence. "You should be careful my boy, a many great men have wasted away in front of this mirror. It shows your heart's desire, but cannot be completely trusted."

Harry was saddened, "so when it showed me with my parents, it was just what I wanted to see, correct sir?"

Dumbledore shrugged, "that depends on what you wanted to see Harry."

Harry thought about what he wanted to see. He had always wondered what his parents had felt with him around, but was that it, or did he want proof that they had loved him. "I believe I wanted to see what my parents had felt about me."

The headmaster nodded, "then you may trust what you saw. However…" He seemed to drift off. A few minutes went by before he shook himself. "You should get back to your common room Harry. I must ask that you not try to find this mirror again, it will be moved to a safe location soon."

Harry nodded and gathered up his cloak and put it on. It amazed him later that he hadn't been caught going to the common room in the daze he was in. He wondered what the headmaster was going to say before he drifted off. What other way could he have learned about his parents?

The last of Christmas break Harry was tempted to search for the mirror, but decided against it. As a way to counter his desire to search, he spent a lot of time studying ahead in the courses that he felt he needed it, potions being at the top of the list. He had become better friend's with Hagrid. He found Hagrid's love of dangerous creatures interesting, although he felt that it was an interest that he would have better from a distance. He also spent as much time as he could with Mini determined to show, to himself more than anyone else, that Mini was his family and that he didn't need to know more about his parents, because he wasn't one to define himself by those that gave birth to him.

By the time Hermione and Neville returned from break, Harry had finished reading his course books and had memorized half of them. Harry hadn't realized that he had poured himself so deeply into studying, until Hermione and Neville found him in the library on the day they got back.

"That such a good book Harry that you forgot to come and see us return," Neville asked with a smile on his face.

Harry jerked up and looked at them, then at his watch, "bugger, I completely forgot."

Neville let out a laugh, while Hermione simply smiled. The two of them took up seats at the table and started talking about their vacations. Harry noticed that Neville had become slightly subdued when Hermione was talking about spending time with her family. He probably wouldn't have noticed if he didn't spend as much time around him as he did.

Neville smiled lightly during his turn. He and his grandmother had spent time in the family summer house in southern England. He had enjoyed the book he was given by Harry, and showed that he was wearing his wrist holder. Hermione also thanked Harry for the gifts, blushing slightly that she had forgotten to.

The rest of the evening was spent talking about Harry's exploits during the break. After telling them about finding the mirror, but not what he saw, they tried to figure out why something so potentially dangerous would be stored in the castle.

Harry vaguely remembered Hagrid getting something from Gringotts before the term started, and then hearing about the break in soon afterwards. Now that he thought about it, the paper had said that noting had been stolen, as the vault had been emptied earlier that day. How many vaults had been completely empty that particular day?

Bringing this to the attention of Neville and Hermione, they tried to figure out what it could be. Not getting much farther that night, they decided to turn in for the night.

* * *

**Excerpt: Between McGonagall and Dumbledore (Takes place on the night before the term starts)**

Minerva McGonagall was setting up for the classes that would be taught in the morning when Dumbledore walked in. He seemed as if he had come to a decision, but was unsure of how to approach it. As he had come to her, not summoned her to come to him, she knew it had to do with Harry.

After sitting, Dumbledore began. "Earlier during the break, I found Harry wandering around the halls late at night. Further observation had me seeing him find the Mirror of Erised."

To say she was surprised would be an understatement, "I thought that it was placed in with the other protections."

Dumbledore nodded, "everyone was supposed to. However, now that it has been discovered, I have moved it to the safety of the protections. This is not why I came here however." Steeling himself visibly he continued, "young Harry said that he wished to know what his parents felt about him, which is understandable considering that he has had no contact with any of their friends."

Minerva tried to see where this was going. "You want him to meet some of them, don't you," it wasn't a question, more like an accusation.

He nodded slowly, "I was thinking of having Remus Lupin contact him. He was friends with both Lily and James, and would understand the need to keep your relationship with Harry quiet."

Minerva sat in silence for awhile. 'yes,' she thought to herself, 'its time for Harry to learn more about his parents. Especially now that he knows more about the Wizard world.' "I'll contact Remus tomorrow."

Nodding Dumbledore bid her goodnight and soon she was left with her own thoughts.

**A/n: 2524 words not counting titles or A/n's. Thank you for your patience on this chapter. **


End file.
